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Participants:

Date:

2010.08.10

Location:

A stream near the Weyr

Synopsis:

Ciara and Leron go on the anticipated fishing trip and return with…'pebbles'.

Rating:

PG13

Logger:

Leron

It's evening on a cool day, the sun dipping lower in the sky and causing odd shadows to be cast. A light drizzle patters into the water of the stream, and is cause for Ciara to pull the hood of her oilskin more firmly over her head. "Should be good fishing to be had," is the young woman's comment as she moves away from where the blue rider's dropped them off, looking back at Leron with a bright grin. Her box of fishing items, the wood fortunately treated to be fully waterproof, is held in one hand, and her fabric-wrapped fishing rod in the other. Eagerness keeps her light on her feet, ready for the excitement to come.

His ‘borrowed’ oilskin cape probably belonged to a very big man, for it drapes well down to Leron’s knees with the hood setting his face so deep in shadow as almost not to be seen. The ever present grin however, is clearly audible in his tone as he lopes along beside Ciara, “Tried ice fishing once, but that was a little too cold. Prefer the rain. I can carry that,” gesturing toward the fishing box she carries.

"Ice fishing? I'd love to try that, some time." Is that a touch of envy in Ci's voice? It quickly turns to slight stubbornness when Leron makes that offer though. "I can handle it, don't worry. Not far to go." Excuses, excuses. She does give his attire another look, a giggle starting up. "Besides, it might get lost inside that oilskin of yours. Where did you get that?" They're almost at the stream now, the rushing water of the waterway, swollen from the recent heavy rains, audible.

Leron scuffs at a rock in the pathway, his nose wrinkling unseen inside the deep hood, “Eh, it’s boring. Once you’re done cutting the hole in the ice it’s just a whole lot of sitting around and getting cold. Arlon near froze his butt to the ice though. That was funny.” A short laugh erupting at the memory. Lifting a hand, he pulls back the hood and sets a crooked grin down to Ciara, “Borrowed it from this dragon see? Said he wouldn’t be using it today.” Total fabrication.

Ciara snorts at the Arlon thing, even though she doesn't know the name. She grins back up at Leron, matching his gaze and teasing, "a dragon gets wet so you can stay dry!" Eyes bright with amusement, she sets the box down in a spot on the riverside that's relatively free of mud, setting the rod and it's somewhat sodden wrapping on top. "Now then…how much d'you know about fishing? I don't fancy a repeat of the last time I went fishing with someone." Her lips twitch at one corner at the memory.

“Nope,” popping the ‘p’ as he’s want to do, “Dragon said he weren’t going out today.” Boots drag to a halt at Ciara’s selected location and Leron shrugs, “Been fishing before, just not with one of them fancy affairs like some folk have these days. Better with a net.” At least he’s honest…’ish. Curiosity lifts up, “What happened last time?”

Ciara laughs at the dragon comment, even as she bends over the box, opening it and trying to shield the contents from the drizzle by using her body. "Fancy affairs?" She queries, turning her head to peer up at Leron. His own question receives a shrug. "Broken rod. S'all." Clearly a point she doesn't want to go into much detail on, to judge by the brief answer.

Leron might be a clumsy goofball, but he does at least try to be helpful where he can. As such when Ciara opens the box he steps up close beside her and holds the edge of his oilskin cape out over it. “Fancy affairs,” he confirms, “those ones with the windy things on the side?” And then a chuckle breaks out at her reply, “That were yours Waine were fixing? Yeah no, I haven’t used one of those before.” Just assuming that it indeed had been her fishing rod in the big stablehand’s care.
"Thanks." Ci retrieves bait and lure from the box, and squats to unwrap the rod. Leron's answer to her question earns the other candidate a worried look. "Oh boy. Yes…yes, that was mine. Promise me you won't throw my rod in the stream? Please? It's already been fixed once!" She pulls back the fabric to reveal the fishing pole, all repaired and 'windy thing' all shiny from care and attention. Ci quirks an eyebrow at Leron, looking up at him from her squat.

Brown eyes blink at Ciara in small confusion, "Not on purpose," Leron states, well aware of his own shortcomings. Chances are he's more likely to get tangled up in the line and find the fish hook caught in his ear or something. His mouth forms around an appreciative 'O' shape once the fishing rod is revealed and he hunkers down next to his fellow candidate, "That be a -nice- one! Waine wouldn't let me take a look." Meanie! As such he stretches out fingers toward the 'windy' thing, fascinated by it.

Ciara can only shrug when Leron offers 'not on purpose'. She tenses when he reaches for the rod but…he's going to be using it in the end, so she might as well let him touch it. Body relaxing, she says, "he did a good job of fixing it. Um…pick it up, if you want. Get a feel for it, like." She straightens, toying with the lure in her left hand, watching Leron thoughtfully.

Taking it up in his hands once Ciara gives permission to do so a broad grin plasters across Leron's face as he tests it weight and flexibility, "Dayum! Coulda caught me a whole bunch more fish than with just a net or pole and line." A casting motion is made, more like one would see used in fly-fishing. Turning to say something to her, he catches her thoughtful expression and brown eyes turn solemn as he hands her precious item back to her, "Something bothering you, Ci?"

Ciara gives an appreciative nod at Leron's handling of the pole. Not bad. "Yeah, if you know how to use them - and where's best to use them - you can do well with them." She starts a little when he catches her expression. "Just…thinking. Here, I'll get the rod ready for you?" She extends her right hand for the rod. After a pause, she adds. "You used to work for Max, right?"

The rod given over into Ciara's care once again, hands disappear back under his oilskin. Likely to hook thumbs into trouser pockets. Daydream while leaning on the handle of a pitchfork more like, but Leron nods anyhow, a smile breaking out once again, "I did yeah. He's great." Then again, this is the lad that doesn't have a mean thing to say about anyone. "You're having problems with your stable chores?" stabbing a guess as to where her line of questioning might be going.

Ciara gets the item ready with deft hands, hardly having to look at what she's doing. This means she can look at Leron instead, eyes burning with curiosity. "No, it's not that actually. I was wondering…do you know much of him and Ahnika?" With the rod now sorted, she offers it to Leron again, holding his gaze if he continues to look at her.

Leron hunkers back down next to Ciara again and puts a quietly curious look onto her, silence stretching out until it might look like he's not going to answer. Finally a short sigh spills out and he nods with a faint smile, "He's been seeing her." Not one to gossip of others it may be noticeable that the former stablehand looks a little uncomfortable, his gaze now drifting down to where the blonde's able fingers work on readying the rod for use. "Why you want to know?" brown eyes lifting back up to those of a slightly lighter shade than his own.

Ciara looks increasingly worried as the silence goes on, and by the time Leron sighs, she's biting her lower lip. "I see," she says quietly when he offers that simple reply. "I'm just worried about Ahnika, that's all. I wanna know she's being treated right. Not that I think Max won't, I just…" She's not expression herself very well here, and sighs. "Sorry. Forget I said anything." Leron's discomfort has not gone unnoticed. "We're supposed to be here to have a good fishing trip," she says, firmly.

With the rod readied and given back to him, Leron chuckles, setting a smile over to Ciara, “Nah, it’s okay. I just figure if someone wants to know something, they should get it straight from the runner’s mouth, so to speak.” And then catching that sigh of the girl’s his expression turns warmer, “She’s a good friend of yours, yes?” relenting just a touch, “Max won’t hurt her. Shards, he gets this daft look on his face any time she’s anywhere near so…” another shrug to end that off with. “Now you going to show me how this windy thing works or am I going to have to guess? I got big plans for any fish we catch,” mischief warming his eyes.

Ciara gives Leron an apologetic look, obviously regretting asking him about this stuff. "Sorry." When he does concede something on the matter, she looks relieved, nodding ever so slightly. "Okay…thank you. I was just worried for her. It seemed like she was all torn up, but if you think he's gonna treat her fine." She squares her shoulders, pleased that the matter is somewhat sorted out in her head. Leron's question gets a grin. "Right! You want to do this…." And so she demonstrates on the rod in his hands, indicating with her own where to place fingers and turn things. "Now, if we get something on the other end, then we'll have the next lesson," she laughs, before lifting an eyebrow and shooting a curious look up at Leron. "Big plans? Somehow that doesn't sound like you mean to eat 'em."

“She’s your friend, I get it,” Leron gives for the apology with a smile, “If I had a friend like that, I’d also want to be sure they were okay.” So it’s all good in his books. He does give the comment about Ciara’s friend being all torn up a short glance of notice and then his eyes are narrowing as he concentrates on what he’s being about the mechanism of the reel and how to use it. “Something on the other end?” he queries looking a little baffled, “Like bait or a fish?” As to his ‘big’ plans a grin peals out, “Plan on eating ‘em after. You can help if you like?”

Ciara nods, looking pleased that somebody understands her concerns. Then she laughs at his bafflement. "Fish, I'd hope! Unless you manage to catch a rock or something. I think I'd be impressed if you managed that." She gives him a look when he reveals his plan. "If you can start a fire to cook them out here - unless we're taking them back to the Weyr?" She ends that line of conversation on a question, going back to the lesson, briefly. "You seem to know how to cast, so, would you like to go ahead? It shouldn't feel much different with a reel."

Fish? Oh, right. Excuse the dunce. Giving the rod a few experimental flicks back and forth, Leron laughs as he quips in return, “Can’t eat a rock.” On the next movement, he releases the line which sadly, was on a backward motion at the time and winds up with the sinker smacking him long side the head. To his credit, he doesn’t drop the rod, “Ow! Shards!” a hand clapping to the side of his head. It takes a moment or two before the klutz is able to say much more and that as he’s handing the ‘evil’ rod back to Ciara, “Taking them back to the Weyr.” Although at the rate he’s going, there’s not likely to be any fish to do anything with.

Ciara jumps when Leron whacks himself in the head with the sinker. "Oh, Faranth! I'm starting to think I'm not cut out to teach people anything." She takes the rod back, eyes wide and guilty. For the time being, the pole is clutched tightly in both her hands, as though she's afraid it's going to come to life and lunge at Leron. "Are you okay? Shards."

Once the rod is safely in Ciara’s care, Leron bends and hangs his head a little to clear the few stars he’s seeing. Taking a deep breath the lad straightens slowly and oddly enough puts a wide grin over to his female counterpart, “Coulda been worse. Coulda gotten the hook in my ear,” or hers. Only then does he catch the look she’s wearing and a hand comes out tentatively to pat awkwardly at her shoulder, “M’fine. You okay?” concern written all over his face.

Ciara looks absolutely stunned when Leron asks if she's okay. "Don't worry about me! You're the one who's hurt! The rider's going to kill us if we take you back injured!" She leans over to put the rod down back on top of the box, leaving her free to fret over Leron. She goes as if to put her hands on his shoulders but pauses, hands freezing in mid air. "Oh, gosh. How're you feeling?"

Leron snorts at the idea of the rider being annoyed and responds through a wink, “Not if I keep my hood up.” It’ll be just their secret. Brown eyes widen as Ciara starts to fret over him either unused to such things or simply amused by the whole affair. His own hands suddenly start a weird patting dance over arms, legs and then head as if he were feeling a ripe melon. “I’m feeling like….” mischief dancing in his eyes, “like a Leron.” Griiin.

Ciara is hanging onto Leron's words as he starts to answer, but his mischievous answer and that grin earn him a thump to the shoulder. "Not funny! I thought you were going to pass out." She leans back a little, some tension still in her frame, but she's not as anxious now. He's messing about, so he mustn't be that badly hurt. "Am I going to have to carry you to the infirmary when we get back?" She's doing a bit of teasing, now that she's somewhat sure he's not going to die or anything.

Laughter and fake flinch away greet the thump to his shoulder, “Is too. You wanted to laugh. I know you did.” Shrugging a little, “Nearly did,” pass out, “but I get worried if a few days go by and I haven’t felt I want to pass out.” Making fun of his recurring clumsiness. When Ciara starts to get the idea and tosses a tease back in his direction Leron affects a deep limp as he moves over to a rock sit his butt down onto, “Definitely going to need to be carried. Not to the Infirmary though. To my cot.” Glancing up at the girl, “So you going to fish or am I going to have to think up another ‘plan’?” He’ll just sit there and watch, passing silly comments no doubt.

Ciara eyes Leron good and proper. "You got some sort of medical problem there?" She's still teasing, though there's an undercurrent of curious concern in her voice. She watches him go sit himself down, picking up her rod as he mentions the fishing. An eyebrow practically shoots into the atmosphere when he talks about going to his cot rather than the infirmary. "And I'll tuck you in as well, huh?" And then she's casting with ease, the sinker plopping into the water. Propping the rod securely against some rocks, Ci can turn her attention better onto Leron, and sits on a rock opposite him. "Now we wait. I guess you know about that part of fishing."

Grinning crookedly, Leron shakes his head in solemn attempt, “Nope. All us Lerons are like this. We’re special.” Yeeeah, more like –speshul-. But moving on. With the rain starting to let up a little, he pulls back his hood and executes a near perfect puppy dog look, big brown eyes and all, “Yup, and a bedtime story too. But not one of those scary ones or else I’ll have to come sleep with you if I get nightmares.” He’s more than likely joking. Watching as Ciara casts and props the road securely his nose wrinkles over the waiting bit, “You want to play a game?” to while the time away. And then he’s crossing his eyes and sticking his tongue. Ever the clown.

Ciara's curious look turns into a small laugh, the girl shaking her head. "Special, huh?" She grins at the bedtime story thing. "Really now?" And, for once, she does pick up on innuendo, intended or not, and her cheeks show a pink blush. She checks the rod to distract herself and try to get composed, watching where the float rests in the water. When Leron mentions a game, she looks over - just in time to catch his expression, which makes her laugh. "Um. What sort of game are we talking about, here?" She can't keep the amusement out of her voice.

“That’s what Max keeps telling me,” a chuckle demonstrating that he knows in what form the word was used in relation to himself. “Yup,” popping the ‘p’, “maybe one of those tales about…” his words fall away as Leron suddenly notices Ciara’s blush and he blinks a little, “What I say now?” The tiny edge of a smirk that blends into his grin likely bearing testament to the fact that he knows full well, even if he hadn’t meant it that way because he then adds, “I don’t snore you know. Or maybe I do, I dunno. Only ever slept with an old canine.” Eyes roll skyward in thought as he tries to think of a game. With the clouds starting to peal away to reveal stars he perks up, “I know! We can make shapes out of the stars.”

Ciara stares at Leron, both eyebrows lifting now. But that blush ruins her attempt at a snooty look. "Oh, you know what you said!" She hasn't missed that hint of a smirk. "Shall I ask the canine if you snore?" She offers, now grinning impishly at Leron, trying to play off her embarrassment at his earlier comment. Her gaze drifts skywards when the ex-stablehand suggests a game. "Hmm. You go first, then." Her attention goes back to the float as it seems to move…nope, false alarm, it's just the current. So Ci looks skywards again, squinting at the points of light as she tries to make patterns of them.

Leron sends Ciara a wink when she calls him out and then laughter rolls out again on the topic of snoring., “You could if I hadn’t left it back somewhere in Nerat.” And then as if it had just occurred to him, “Hey, you don’t snore do you? Cause I totally need my beauty sleep. It takes a lot of sleep to maintain this,” a hand waving about his mischievous face. He misses the bob of float being as how his gaze is fixed skyward. “Okay,” a hand drifts upward, finger point out a cluster of stars off to their right, “You those see ones there? Those are known as Faranth’s arse.” And just in case she doesn’t believe him he adds, “S’true! Met this old starcrafter once that told me. Or he could have just been an old geezer well in his cups. But it does look like that, right?”

"Nerat?" Ci picks up on that word out of the others. "I come from Nerat…where're you from exactly?" Then she rolls her eyes at the snoring thing. "Course I don't snore." Before she sticks her tongue out at him for his mischievousness. Her gaze follows the direction of his pointing finger. "Faranth's…" She bites that sentence off, lowering her face to stare at him, unimpressed. "How would I know if it looks like that!" But her lips are twitching with amusement that's barely contained.

“Craggy Flats,” which is nowhere near Nerat, “Never made it all the way –into- Nerat Hold. Randi picked us up just outside of there.” Interest colors Leron’s expression as it drops back down to Ciara, “So you’re from Nerat? Nice place. Why’d you leave?” Chuckling for her comment on not snoring his gaze goes back up to the stars right as the line floating in the water dips heavily, “Then I guess it’s okay if you tell me a boring bedtime story.” He catches her stare out of the corner of his eye grins widely, “One dragon’s arse is the same as the next I’d think. Hers would just have been shinier. Like the stars.”

"Oh." Ci's excitement dips as she recalls where Craggy Flats is. But Leron's interest in Nerat - and compliment of the place - get her interested again. "Hmmm…maybe I could think of some boring stories," she says, eyes bright with humour as she watches him. But the dragon's arse thing has her shaking her head. "Did this starcrafter teach you any other arrangements of stars?"

Brown eyes flit down from the velvet night sky and land sideways onto Ciara, “You didn’t answer my question,” he prompts again on the reason for why she’d left Nerat. Leron’s attention goes back up once again lazy laughter sounding out, “He did. That one there,” almost directly above them shaped like a musical note, “is the Harper’s song.”

"I…was bored of it there," Ciara admits, the words sounding silly even to her own ears. Then Leron's offering a much more realistic name of a constellation, and Ci smiles, looking up at the arrangement in question. "That's a nice one. They navigate ships by the stars, so my dad says."

Bored? Now there’s a sentiment Leron can get with as his wide and approving grin would suggest. “You were bored? Hey, me too! Some adventure, huh?” A companionable silence forming during which the fishing line starts bobbing about wildly, “Hey! I think you got something!” He’s up like a flash and trying to peer through the darkness excitement evident in the foot to foot shift he’s taken to. “Quick Ci!”

Ciara grins, though the expression is softer now, for their shared experiences. Leron's quick action catches her out - her attention had turned away from the stream - but she's at the rod as quick as she can, hands placing themselves ready to pull the fish in. "Feels pretty heavy, for a place like this! Right, then." And her brow creases as she works the line, the fish fighting her as she works to get it to the surface. "There's a net in my box!"

“Don’t lose it out now,” Leron calls on the fish being heavy and then scrambles for the box, grabs the net out of it and without thinking goes wading out into the stream, completely soaking boots and the bottom of his trousers. Net held at the ready, “Gotta have at least one to take back alive.” The timing pretty good considering the bluerider is likely due back some time soon.

Ciara laughs even as she concentrates on her work, eyes fixed on the line where it disappears into the water. "If you take back a nice big fish…it's not quite the same as a candidate for the eggs, is it?" And finally she gets the fish out of the stream. "Quickly now!" She says, not forcefully but urgently - she wants this thing caught!

Leron turns and puts a bemused look onto Ciara and then he starts laughing, “You think we could hold out the fish and bring the baby dragons forward like that?” trying to understand what it is she might have meant. Slipping and splashing his way over to where the fish is flopping about he scoops the net in under it and holds it up high, triumph plastered all over his face, “You did it!! Now my wonderful plan can unfold!” Because without a fish, there can be no plan.

Ciara glances over at Leron. "If I should fall into the stream and be swept away - at least you might have a fish to take back in my place?" She's still good-natured about it all, the image of them presenting a fish to the baby dragons makes her laugh. Then Leron's caught the fish, and Ci hastens to remove the hook from its mouth. "Good size! Should be a tasty one?" She adds, giving Leron a not-quite-convinced look about this 'wonderful plan'. Something smells…well, fishy!

“Nah,” Leron shakes his head chuckling, “I can hold onto the fish and come save you.” Very sure of his physical prowess he seems to be. Probably more likely to drown the both of them. Hunkering down next to Ciara and watching as she works to remove the hook an impish grin appears, “Should taste good….after its had a bath.” Pure devilment sparking in his eyes as he gives clue to his ‘plan’.

Ciara shakes her head at the first, but at the second, her head snaps up from where she's looking down at her work. "A bath?" Uhoh. She straightens, hands going to her hips. "I…what? You're not really going to put that in the baths are you?" Pause. "It'd probably cook!" Oh right, so she's worried about the fish. Fantastic. The rider is starting to come closer now, probably wondering what they're up to.

Spying the bluerider on her way over, Leron quickly whips off his borrowed oilskin and ties it together in such a way as to fashion a carry bag of sorts. Swooping it through the stream he fills the bottom, eyes on the approaching woman he whispers urgently to Ciara, “Quick, put it in here.” As to her reaction to his plan a crooked grin pitches out, and shoulders shrug, “If it cooks in the baths, then its clean –and- ready to eat.” Yup, he seems determined to carry his plan out. “If she asks,” the bluerider, “We didn’t catch anything and I got river stones in here that one of the other candidates asked for, ‘kay?” Now he’s asking her to fib for him?

Ciara obligingly slips the fish into the makeshift bag, shooting a worried look over her shoulder at the rider. A moment's indecision and then… "Okay. But if you get found out, it's your problem! I had no part in this!" But she's got a devilish look in her eyes, well inspired by the weakness. "Ready to go? We need to get back," the rider's calling over now, eyeing the two suspiciously. "Um," Ci says, lost for words for once, looking at Leron for him to answer.

Clearly taking the heat for the prank doesn’t seem to bother Leron one little bit if the smirk he sends Ciara is anything to go by. With the bluerider arrived he sets a perfectly benign expression into place and then affects a sad little look and a long suffering sigh, “Slim pickings. But yes, we’re ready to go.” Hefting the make-shift bag over his shoulder he even bends to take up his companion’s fishing box, “Shall we go Ci? I’m sure drayla will be happy with the pebbles we found for her.” A surreptitious wink sent her way.

Ciara gets in on the innocent act, nodding at Leron's question. "I think we've got the best we could find, yeah." She manages not to overact, at least, and is happy to walk alongside the other candidate to follow the rider back to her dragon, after collecting up her things. If her eyes dart to the carry sack a little too often…well, perhaps it's just concern about the weight he's carrying? Here's hoping a dragon's nostrils aren't too sensitive.

There’s only the faintest slosh that comes from the ‘pebble’ bag as Leron scrambles up to take his place on the blue but he covers it by humming a jaunty song as Ciara settles in and then they’re off on their way back to the Weyr. Hopefully the poor fish doesn’t freeze Between before its had a chance to ‘cook’ in the Weyr baths.